“Yeah. Deja vu and all that crap,” Ben returned.

“Gods…” Felicity moaned, and her eyes grew wide. “What about everyone else? If he knew about Randy…”

“That was the second call,” Ben said as he nodded. “I’ve kept a list in my desk since this all started. Ackman is going to contact them, and we’ll go from there.”

“What about Nancy?” my wife appealed. “Someone should be with her. Unless…”

She caught her breath as the thought struck. She didn’t have to voice it for us to know what it was.

“Don’t panic,” Ben told her. “Ackman is making the calls. We don’t know anything yet, so let’s just assume that she’s okay.”

Felicity closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she nodded affirmation. I gave her hand a squeeze but wasn’t certain how reassuring it would be. I knew she could easily sense that I was just as worried as she was. I dropped my chin to my chest and stared at the table as a solemn hush blanketed our little corner of the diner. Even the radio behind the counter was spewing only dead air.

“I’ve had enough nightmares this decade,” I finally muttered. “Will someone please wake me up.”

*****

“Here she comes.” Ben canted his head toward me and whispered, “Play nice and keep the Twilight Zone stuff to yourself.”

It was obvious that we had not only been expected but that our arrival on scene had been announced. We had just barely topped the metal stairs leading to the roof access of the warehouse a few seconds prior to his comment. Before we could get our bearings, we were greeted by the sight of a woman wearing a heavy trench coat walking purposefully toward us from several yards away.

The assortment of circumstances combined with the raging pain in my skull had centered my mood somewhere between foul and just plain pissed off. “What if I don’t?”

“I’m not kidding here, white man. She’ll kick your sorry ass outta here,” he snarled under his breath. “And I’m damn liable to help her. Got me?”